The Center offers awards for scholars & practicioners who have made meaningful contributions to Vermont research.
New Award in Process... Launching Next Year!
CRVT's mission is to encourage and promote Vermont research while building a robust network of scholars committed to diverse perspectives. To meet this mission, next year we will launch a new Vermont History Award to fund scholars and practitioners engaged in Vermont-related research and original work. The award will prioritize early and mid-career scholars and practitioners, acknowledging their outstanding achievements to springboard their current project. To celebrate our 50th Year, we will honor scholars undertaking ambitious, challenging projects that advance critical topics in Vermont history. Stay tuned to learn about new opportunies we are creating to advance greater understanding of Vermont history and learn more about our existing opportunities below.
Student Research Awards
The Nuquist Award is a statewide competition to encourage excellence in undergraduate research on Vermont topics in the form of a culminating study, usually a thesis or year-long project. The award is named in memory of UVM Political Science Professor Andrew E. Nuquist.
The Bryan Award is a statewide competition to recognize outstanding undergraduate research on Vermont topics, as exemplified in a one-semester course project. The Center inaugurated the award in 1997 to honor George B. Bryan (1939–1996), Professor of Theatre and former Director of the Center for Research on Vermont.
Deadline: Will be announced in early 2025.
View past Bryan Award recipients
| Student | Year | Advisor | Institution | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nora Sissenich | 2024 | Jennifer Lai (Sociology) | University of Vermont | "The Emergence of Controversy over Digital Libraries in Rural Vermont" |
| Samuel Blair | 2020 | University of Vermont | "Habitus in the Sugarbush: Theorizing Cultural Landscapes and the More-Than-Human" | |
| Kailey Loughran | 2019 | Rachel Onuf (Vermont State Archives) | University of Vermont | "Vermont Suffragists: A Sampling of the First Female Activists from 100 Years Ago" |
| Lachlan Francis | 2018 | University of Vermont | "Political Polarization along the Rural-Urban Divide" | |
| Anthony DiMario | 2017 | Dale Jaffe (Sociology) | University of Vermont | "Indie Capitalism and Craft Beer Drinkers in Vermont" |
| Newton Rose | 2015 | Rae Nishi (Neurology) and Helga Schreckenberger (German) | "Remembering Elia Corti: The Durability of Granite and the Fluidity of Memory. | |
| Emily Bensen | 2014 | Michael Sheridan (Sociology) | Middlebury College | "The Dynamics of Social Capital: A Study of Town Clerks as Key Participants in Exchange Relationships in Addison County Communities" |
| Harriet Napier | 2013 | Svea Closser (Sociology) | Middlebury College | "The Subculture of the Suppressed: Living in Middlebury's Motels" |
| No recipient | 2012 | -- | -- | -- |
| No recipient | 2011 | -- | -- | -- |
| Kevin Madore | 2010 | Kathryn Morse (History) | Middlebury College | "The Labor Fever of the Rutland Knights: How the Working Class Gained Power in the Marble Utopia of Vermont" |
| Gregory McDermott | 2009 | James Ralph (History) | Middlebury College | "'Leave It or Sink With It': The Rise and Fall of the Vermont Know-Nothing Party" |
| Benjamin Robins | 2008 | Amy Morsman (History) | Middlebury College | "Privileged Scholars or Patriotic Soldiers? Middlebury College Students and the Civil War, A Comparison of the Town and College" |
| Emily Wheeler | 2007 | Burke Rochford | Middlebury College | "Small Town vs. Big Wind: Exploring the Complexity of the Wind Power Debate in Rural Vermont" |
| Cara Gooch | 2006 | Andrew Wentink (Special Collections) | Middlebury College | "A Holy Battle: The Antislavery Movement in Vermont, 1819–1840" |
| Erinn Grimes | 2005 | Travis B. Jacobs (History) | Middlebury College | "Academic Duality: The Middlebury Russian School from 1945 to 1955" |
| Lindsey Whitton | 2004 | James Ralph (History) | Middlebury College | "Nature Versus Nurture: The Vermont Children's Aid Society's Struggle with Eugenics Theory, 1919–1925" |
| Susan Reagan - co-recipient | 2003 | Amy Morsman (History) | Middlebury College | "From Farm to Nearby Factory: Female Millworkers in Middlebury, Vermont in the 1840s" |
| Alden Woodrow - co-recipient | 2003 | Jonathan Isham (Economics & Environmental Studies) | Middlebury College | "The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act and Vermont: Values, Applications, and Impacts" |
| Michael Snow | 2002 | Peter B. Nelson (Geography) | Middlebury College | "This Compost: A Cooperative, Whole-Systems Approach to Dairy" |
| Alisa Leib | 2001 | Jeanne Shea (Anthropology) | University of Vermont | "Domestic Violence and Cultural Sensitivity in Burlington, Vermont" |
| Flavio Bollag | 2000 | Kathryn Morse (History) | Middlebury College | "Boots, Backpacks, and the Beauty of Vermont: The Development of a Hiking Culture along the Long Trail, 1910-1930" |
| Anthony Carbrello, Daniel Giuliani, Beth Kruger, Jesse LeClair, Stephanie Lewis, Sherry Mahady, Kelly Martelle, Mary-Catherine Munck, and Maryann Sullivan | 1999 | Amy Werbel (Fine Arts) | St. Michael's College | "Historic Fort Ethan Allen, Colchester/Essex, Vermont" Note: This project may be accessed here |
| John Thomas | 1998 | Dona Brown (History) | University of Vermont | "The Engine of Enlightenment: Samuel Hitchcock and the Creation of the University of Vermont Seal" |
| Regina-Anne Cooper | 1997 | Michael Sherman (Liberal Studies) | Vermont College of Norwich University | "Three Vermont Diaries" |
View past Nuquist Award recipients
| Student | Year | Advisor(s) | Institution | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanna Hartman | 2024 | Dr. Pablo S. Bose | University of Vermont | “Becoming Burlington: An Analysis of Citizen Engagement in Waterfront Revitalization" |
| Lucia Possehl | 2020 | Cherie Morse (Geography) | University of Vermont | "Landscapes of Care Amid Crisis: Vermont's Repsonse to the Opioid Epidemic" |
| Annie McAneny | 2019 | Kelly Hamshaw (CDAE) | University of Vermont | "Beyond Eviction: Factors at Play in Landlord Power" |
| Lauren Rayson | 2018 | University of Vermont | "Understanding and Mitigating the Effects of the Childcare Cliff: A Case Study of Vermont" | |
| Jack Braunstein | 2017 | Ingrid Nelson (Geography) | University of Vermont | |
| Shannon K. Esrich (Anthropology) | 2015 | Teresa Mares (Anthropology) | University of Vermont | "Gone to Market: Perceptions, Motivations, and Values of Farmers Market Participants in Burlington, Vermont" |
| Neil Brandt | 2014 | Stephanie Kaza (Environmental Studies) | University of Vermont | "Changing Actors and Discourse: An Analysis of Ten Years of Media Coverage In Vermont's Wind Power Debate" |
| Victoria Kulwicki | 2013 | Dr. Thomas R. Hudspeth (Environmental Studies), Dr. Ernesto Mendez (Agroecology) | University of Vermont | "Reaping a Profit: An Analysis of Marketing Techniques Used by Local, Organic Farmers in Vermont" |
| Kristin Haas | 2012 | Peggy Nelson (Sociology) | Middlebury College | "Neighborly Relations: the Production of Positive and Negative Social Capital in a Low-Income Housing Community" |
| Rachel Zakrasek | 2011 | Michael Sheriden (Sociology and Anthropology) | Middlebury College | "Vulnerability and Adaptation in Vermont: Agriculture, Society, Ecology, and Climate Change" |
| Andrew Turgeon | 2010 | Cheryl Morse (Geography) | University of Vermont | "Young People’s Place in Community: Cross-Examining Teenagers’ Identities, Space and Social Differences in Southern Vermont" |
| Elizabeth Kelley | 2009 | Jonathan Isham, Jr. (Economics and Environmental Studies) | Middlebury College | "The Implications of the Greening of Social Capital: Evidence from Bristol, Vermont" |
| Benjamin "Jamie" Robins - Special Mention | 2009 | Amy Morsman (History) | Middlebury College | "Three Schools, Three Outcomes: The Students' Army Training Corps at Middlebury, Dartmouth, and the University of Vermont" |
| Lisa Gerstenberger | 2008 | Michael Sheridan (Sociology/Anthropology) | Middlebury College | "Changing Attitudes Towards Farmland Conservation Easements in Addison County, Vermont" |
| Kyle Brooks - Special Mention | 2008 | Gary Lord (History) | Norwich University | "Training Citizen-Soldiers: Norwich University's Contributions to the Vermont Militia System, 1819–1865" |
| Alison Brady | 2007 | Travis Jacobs (History) | Middlebury College | "White Gold in the Green Mountains: The Evolution of Vermont's Dairy Industry" |
| Asher Burns-Burg | 2006 | Jonathan Isham, Jr. (Economics and Environmental Studies) | Middlebury College | "Empowering Environmentalism: A Socioeconomic Analysis of Energy Consumption; Awareness, Attitudes and Actions in Vermont" |
| Lauren Throop | 2005 | Richard Wolfson (Physics) | Middlebury College | "A Multi-Dimensional Analysis of Wind Energy Potential at Middlebury College's Worth Mountain" |
| James LaMonda | 2004 | Gary Lord (History), Jack Anderson (Adjunct Faculty) | Norwich University | "Closing the Backdoor to Washington: Vermont Civil War Soldiers in the Shenandoah Valley, 1864" |
| Robin Lane | 2003 | Michael Sherman | Vermont College of Union Institute & University | "Understanding Act 60: An Objective Look at the Content, Context, and Implications of Vermont's Current Education Finance Legislation" |
| Elaine Vidal | 2002 | Elizabeth (Ibit) Getchell (Environmental Program) | University of Vermont | "Urban Sanctuary: The Value of Natural Areas" |
| Jessica Wasilewski | 2002 | Jonathan Isham (Economics), Jessica Holmes (Economics) | Middlebury College | "Low-Income Credit Rationing and Social Return on Investment: Welfare-to-Work Car Loans in the State of Vermont" |
| No recipient | 2001 | |||
| No recipient | 2000 | |||
| Irina Marinov | 1999 | Thomas Manley (Geology), Robert Prigo (Physics) | Middlebury College | "Wind-generated Oscillations in Lake Champlain" |
| Rachel Boisvert and Rachel Pierce | 1998 | Daniel Bean (Emeritus, Biology) | St. Michael's College | "Revisit to a Polluted Stream: LaPlatte River Water Quality, 1962 and 1996, as Determined by Benthos Communities" |
| James D. Brown IV | 1997 | Carl Reidel (Environmental Program), Jeffrey Hannigan (Art) | University of Vermont | "Ecological Site Planning and Design for a Vermont Community Growth Center: A Case Study of Taft Corners, Williston, Vermont" |
| Duncan Eccleston - co-recipient | 1996 | Tyler Priest (History) | Middlebury College | "Otter Creek: The Changing Vision of a Middlebury Resource" |
| Joseph Morel - co-recipient | 1996 | Jere Daniell (History) | Dartmouth College | "Governing a Republic: Vermont State Government, 1777–1791" |
| Scott Thompson | 1995 | Thomas Manley (Geology) | Middlebury College | "Documenting the Effects of the Internal Seiche in Lake Champlain on a Shallow Bay: Thompson's Point Bay, Lake Champlain, Vermont" |
| Jeffrey L. Chapman | 1994 | Theodore Sasson (Sociology-Anthropology) | Middlebury College | "State Lotteries: Harmless Fun or Social Plague? A Study of People's Impressions of the Vermont Lottery" |
| Margaret C. Kline | 1993 | James Ralph (History) | Middlebury College | "Modernity and Morality: Middlebury in the 1920s" |
| Amy Hillier | 1992 | Nancy Beadie (History) | Middlebury College | "Who Should Attend to Everybody's Business?: Democracy in Middlebury's Schools" |
| Steven Sgorbati | 1991 | Holman Jordan, Jr. (History) | Castleton State College | "Hyde Manor: The Early Years" |
| Peter R. Wilshusen | 1990 | Carl Reidel (Environmental Program) | University of Vermont | "A Foundation for Cooperation—The Biosphere Reserve Concept as a Model for Environmental Cooperation in the Lake Champlain/Adirondack Region" |
| Michael Grimm | 1989 | Jean R. Flack & Richard R. Paradis (Environmental Program) | University of Vermont | "The Geo-ecological Significance of Pease Mountain, Charlotte, Vermont" |
| George Cabot Lee II | 1988 | Susan Gray (History) | Middlebury College | "The Billings, Mason, and Woodward Houses of Woodstock: Rural Taste and Pattern Book Democracy in Nineteenth Century Vermont" |
| Karen Stites | 1987 | J. Kevin Graffagnino (Special Collections) | University of Vermont | "Isaac Clark of Castleton: A Controversial Figure in Early Vermont History" |
| Penny E. Hamlet | 1986 | Kenneth Lipartito (History) | Middlebury College | "`Pre-Progressivism': Farm Activism in Vermont from 1870 to 1900" |
| Kevin O'Connor | 1985 | Ernest Muller (History) | Bates College | "Bloodroots: The Impact of Transportation on the Town of Brattleboro, Vermont" |
| Christine M. Peleszak | 1984 | Jean Flack (Environmental Program) | University of Vermont | "The Abandonment of Leicester Hollow" |
| Becky J. Dorsey | 1983 | Rolfe Stanley (Geology) | University of Vermont | "Geological Synthesis of the Milton Quadrangle, North-western Vermont: A New Interpretation" |
| Harold Burroughs | 1982 | Blanche Linden (History) | Middlebury College | "Vermont and the Sectionalist Movement in New England, 1800-1815: The State's Isolation from Regional Unity" |
Please contact UVM Special Collections and University Archives to view papers submitted for the Nuquist and Bryan Awards.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Center recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the state of Vermont with our annual Lifetime Achievement Awards. Recipients are researchers, government leaders, community leaders, teachers, artists, historians who have had enduring, significant, and positive influences on the state, including our culture, civic life, research and educational institutions, and the daily lives of Vermonters.
View past CRVT Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Marjorie S. Strong, former Assistant Librarian at Vermont Historical Society |
| 2024 | Paul Carnahan, former Librarian at Vermont Historical Society |
| 2024 | Jeffrey Marshall, former Director of Special Collections for UVM Libraries |
| 2020 | Kevin Graffagnino, former Curator of Vermont History for UVM Libraries (read nomination letters from Jeffrey Marshall, Sarah Dopp, and Nicholas Muller III | read Kevin Graffagnino's bio) |
| 2019 | Paul S. Gillies, Vermont judicial history expert. Nominated by Gregory Sanford (read Sanford's introductory remarks | read Gillies' remarks) |
| 2018 | Giovanna Peebles, the Vermont State Archaeologist for 38 years. |
| 2017 | Kristin Peterson-Ishaq, Center Coordinator for more than 30 years. Nominated by Gregory Sanford (read comments) |
| 2016 | H. Nicholas Muller, III, Ph.D. Nominated by Kevin Graffagnino |
| 2015 | Connell B. Gallagher, the long-time director of the Special Collections Department at UVM. Nominated by Jeff Marshall, Chris Burns, Prudence Doherty, Brooks Buxton, Wiz Dow, Gregory Sanford and many others. |
| 2014 | Michael Sherman, Former Director, Vermont Historical Society. Presented by Greg Sanford. |
| 2013 | Frank M. Bryan, John G. McCullough Professor of Political Science at UVM (retired 2013). Presented by Jim Douglas. |
| 2012 | Fred E. Schmidt, Founding Director, UVM's Center for Rural Studies. Presented by Paul Costello. Spirit of Vermont award John Bramley, Interim UVM President. Presented by Robert Tyzbir. |
| 2011 | Jane C. Beck, Founding Director, Vermont Folklife Center. Presented by Greg Sharrows and Andy Kolovos. |
| 2010 | D. Gregory Sanford, Vermont State Archivist. Presented by Connell B. Gallagher. |
| 2009 | Hubert "Hub" Vogelmann, UVM Professor Emeritus of Botany. Presented by Walter Poleman. |
| 2008 | John Duffy, JSC Professor Emeritus of English and Humanities. Presented by Samuel B. Hand. |
| 2007 | Esther Munroe Swift, librarian-archivist-researcher. Presented by Kevin Graffagnino. |
| 2006 | Weston Cate, Jr., Vermont Historical Society Director, retired. Presented by Michael Sherman. |
| 2006 | William A. Haviland, UVM Professor Emeritus of Anthropology. Presented by Giovanna Peebles. |
| 2005 | Lilian Baker Carlisle, Historian. Presented by Samuel B. Hand. |
| 2004 | Betty Bandel, UVM Professor Emeritus of English. Presented by Sarah L. Dopp. |
| 2003 | Samuel B. Hand, UVM Professor Emeritus of English. |
| 2002 | Mariafranca Morselli, UVM Professor Emerita of Botany. |
